When Time Fails
by SuperAlpha96
Summary: When Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo are forced down a well that is NOT their normal route of travel to Kagome's time, they end up in a place full of demons of a different sort. Lucky for them, they have landed at the Phantomhive Estate and meet One Hell of a Butler. Can Sebastian help Inuyasha and the others find a way home? If he couldn't do that, what kind of butler would he be?
1. Chapter 1

When Time Fails

Chapter 1

~Down The Rabbit Hole~

Hey guys! SilverBelle11 and I are collaborating to write this story together, and I think you're in for a _real_ treat!

We are both "experts" in our fields of anime: mine is Inuyasha (really, I'd hope if you were a returning fan – you'd know this by now!) and hers is Black Butler (seriously, she's amazing!)

Please read and review (or comment – whatever Fanfiction is calling it nowadays)!

Disclaimer: we do not own Black Butler or Inuyasha

"Hurry up!" Inuyasha yelled frantically as he ran with a frightened Kagome and Shippo in tow. "Come on!"

Kagome ran hard, harder than she ever had to run in her entire life. And she had good reason, too. Not ten yards behind the trio, Naraku was giving them the chase of their lives: his purple tentacles always coming within inches of their fleeting limbs just for the scare, his haunting laughter always right in their ears to send shivers down their spine.

Shippou clung tightly to Kagome, looking back to see another tentacle swooping in at a fast rate.

"Inuyasha!"

With one glance and a muttered curse under the breath, Inuyasha grabbed the young miko by the waist and bounded towards the other direction. Trees, bushes, sky and ground passed by in a blur in a hurried attempt to lose their ultimate enemy – to get him off their tails.

The laughter returned and added, "Fools! How dare you even _think_ that you can escape me!"

Another tentacle crashed just to their right, sending the team airborne along with the exploding dust and bits of dirt. The hanyo collided backwards into a tree; Shippou rammed right into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. With eyes screwed shut, Inuyasha anticipated Kagome's weight, but it never came.

"Wha…!" He opened his eyes slowly and whipped his head side to side, his silver mane flying wildly. Desperately searching for his miko, he peeled himself and the kistune off the tree. Not seeing her immediately, he called out, "Kagome!"

Kagome, on the other hand, was lying just beyond the tree line. For a frightening moment, she had blacked out, but the hanyo's gruff voice was calling her back to reality. As she opened her eyes, she noticed the flowers growing so beautifully next to her. She rose to a sitting position in the grass, her limited vision still blurry. Soon, it returned and she could see something large just across the meadow.

"Wha…?" She breathed, not believing her eyes. Here, not in Kaede's village, was the Bone Eater's Well… or, at least it _resembled_ the youki-corpse dump. Kagome then shivered, remembering the first time she had tried to go home after falling down the well, how the bones of Mistress Centipede had stared her in the face.

Lost in thought, Kagome didn't notice the tainted presence that had lurked its way towards her. A large, calloused hand came around and wrapped itself over her mouth – preventing all chances of calling for help.

Leaning over her shoulder in a luxurious manor, Naraku stared ahead at the wooden structure.

"So…" he drew out, laying his pale cheek against Kagome's and forcing her to see the well. "What's so important about that well, there?"

Kagome struggled fruitlessly against his firm grasp, but the hand stayed clamped over her mouth. Silence fell upon them and for any one else in the world – the evening was pleasurable. The sky had not a cloud in the sky. A breeze was blowing carelessly across the meadow riddled with wildflowers. Eventually, the pure evil rolling off the vile man made the miko sick to her stomach – her spiritual powers never having experienced anything as close to evil as Naraku.

Noticing her futile escape attempts – the man grabbed her by the back of the neck and carried her over to the well.

"Well, if you won't answer me…" Naraku paused right next to the wooden structure with Kagome dangling and clawing at anything within reach.

With his filthy fingers finally off her mouth, the young miko gasped, "I-Inu..Ya_sha!"_

At the end of her quiet plea, Naraku's grasp tightened around her neck – silencing her. Kagome continued to kick and thrash, still wanting to free herself from his clutches.

_But if he drops me, _Kagome thought with one glance below her. _I'd hit the bottom. Inuyasha isn't anywhere near me to catch me from the fall. If this was the well in Kaede's village, I'd fall safely back into my time. But this __**isn't**__ the Bone Eater's Well, I'm sure of it. So why can I sense-_

Kagome could feel Naraku's fingers pried themselves off her skin and she found herself falling. She didn't have enough time to open her eyes or even blindly grab onto something. So she continued to fall. Down, down, down….

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled from across the clearing. Previously, he had been sniffing his lost companion's scent, only to stumble upon the clearing just as she was thrust down the well. Naraku calmly turned until he faced the half-demon head on. Completely ignoring his sole enemy, the one who caused the giant rift to form between he and Kikyo, the one pulling all the strings, Inuyasha flew across the sunny clearing – but inside, he felt a dreadful chill numbing his senses.

_If I don't make it to her in time…_ The hanyo blocked the thought from forming any further as he ran straight for the well.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou cried as he hung onto the half-demon's red haori for dear life. He, too, saw what he considered to be a second mother to him fall down the well. If Naraku wasn't a direct enemy to him before, he sure was now.

Inuyasha braced himself on the lip of the well and, in one fluid motion, jumped into the abyss. The most noticeable thing he noticed was how he couldn't find Kagome… Or a bottom…

But there was the light of time…

_Whatever it takes, I'm coming after you, Kagome!_

With this sharp, determined thought to keep him going, Inuyasha straightened himself like an arrow and gritted his teeth, preparing himself for the unknown.

But then again, who can do that?

~#*WTF*#~

Kagome felt bruised in places she didn't even know she had. Rubbing her ankle, she examined her new surroundings. This was _definitely_ not the well in the shrine at home. She stood, dusting off her uniform skirt, and looked for a way out of the well. Luckily, it seemed that someone had lowered a rope into the darkness. It wasn't ideal, but it would do.

Kagome emerged from the well into the bright sunlight. When her eyes adjusted, she almost fell back into the hole out of sheer shock. She wasn't home, but she wasn't in the feudal age either…in fact, she wasn't sure this was even Japan. Over a line of trees that didn't grow in her homeland loomed a large, stately building.

_Where am I?_ She thought. _…WHEN am I?_

She didn't have long to ponder, though before she heard a familiar voice coming from the well behind her.

"KAGOME?" Inuyasha yelled.

"It's alright!" she called back. "I'm up here."

In a single bound, the half-demon stood beside her, looking her over with concern.

"I'm alright, I promise." She assured him.

"Whoooooah," a small voice came from Inuyasha's back. Shippo tumbled to the ground holding his head. "That was aaaawessooooome!"

"Shippo!" Kagome scooped the small fox-demon up from the ground and hugged him tightly.

Suddenly, from the other side of the tree line came a loud, haunting howl. The trio froze, Inuyasha's keen ears locked on to the noise. Kagome fell to the ground as the dirt began shaking beneath their feet. Inuyasha's poised himself in front of Kagome and Shippo defensively, but nothing could have prepared him for what came through those trees.

Tongue bouncing and tail wagging, a dog standing higher than the trees through which he ran came bounding across the grassy lawn. When he reached the trio, Inuyasha had tetsuiga((sp?)) ready for attack, but the large dog only raised its massive head and howled again before lowering it into a "play" position.

As confused as the group was then, the situation only got weirder when a blonde boy came jogging up behind the monstrous hound.

"PLUTO!" the boy laughed. "What are you doing, boy?" He then spotted Inuyasha and Kagome. "Well, hello! Who are—heeeeey! You have dog ears!" He pounced, rubbing Inuyasha's ears between his fingers. The half-demon jumped back, wide-eyed, exposing Shippo.

The boy stopped, staring at the small fox demon. The two of them blinked at one another for a brief moment before the boy fell to the ground, somehow ending up holding Shippo over his head.

"You're ADOOORABLE!"

"FINNY!" a sharp, masculine voice broke through the air. "What ARE you doing? And why is that…thing…making so much noise? You know the Young Master is busy today."

The one called "Finny" sat up, still clutching Shippo, but looking ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian…Pluto found these three, and I was just saying hello…"

From his place between Kagome and Shippo, Inuyasha growled as he watched the voice's owner approach.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at him, concerned.

"He isn't human," Inuyasha growled again. "There's a dark aura around him.

A tall, pale man dressed all in black marched steadily into the clearing. He calmly approached the group, examining each of the members. His crimson eyes first fell on Shippo, still clutched in Finny's arms. Though barely detectable, one of the man's eyebrows twitched in seeming annoyance at the sight of the tiny fox demon.

His gaze floated to Inuyasha. Immediately, the half-demon began growling fiercely, letting this newcomer know that he would not be challenged lightly. To his great dismay, however, the man sighed, shaking his head, and continued his scan of the crowd.

"You bastard! Don't look at me like I'm nothing!" Inuyasha yelled, waving a fist in the air.

"Oh!" the dark man's hand went to his chest as he bowed at the waist, "Forgive my rudeness, My Lady, I did not realize your presence. Sebastian Michaelis, head butler to the Earl of Phantomhive, at your service."

Kagome merely stood, blinking for a few moments. "Th-thank you!" she curtsied. Inuyasha gaped, open-mouthed from Sebastian to Kagome and back.

"Finny!" a light, female voice met their ears, "Finny where are you?"

"Oh, what NOW?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Over here, Miss Aria!" Finny called excitedly.

A young woman entered the clearing next. She was tall and slender with golden hair just like Finny. Inuyasha sensed that her aura was the exact opposite of the one belonging to the man in black.

Upon seeing her, the massive dog underwent a terrifying transformation. As the three guests watched, he suddenly became a man…a naked man, and ran to meet the young woman, still retaining his dog-like personality. Laughing, she rolled her eyes and wrapped her own coat around the dog-man's body. He continued to jump up to her as a dog would while she moved to meet the group of people.

"What's going on?" She smiled at Finny and Sebastian. Though he was excruciatingly subtle about it, Inuyasha noticed the man in black shift, becoming ever so slightly defensive in stance as the woman approached.

_So…he has someone like my Kagome to protect as well…_

"Oh, hello!" she called to the newcomers. "Aria Meriwether. I'm the Earl Phantomhive's tutor. What brings you to the Estate?"

"Umm," Kagome started, "Well, you probably wouldn't believe us if we told you…"

"Oh my!" Aria rushed on Kagome, running her fingers over the various cuts and bruises on Kagome's arms and legs. "You'll have to come inside for a bite to eat and let me tend to those. You can explain everything inside…and believe me…I think you'll find us to be _very_ open-minded." She winked, stepping back.

"Miss Aria," Sebastian frowned at her, "Are you sure? They have strange auras…and those ears…" His eyebrow twitched again as he shivered, followed by a muttered, "dogs…" Aria only stared at him, a smirk plastered to her impish face. The dark man sighed, "Are you sure, Miss Aria? They—"

"Sebastian," Aria said flatly. They all looked at her, arms crossed over her chest, Pluto leaning on her shoulder, nibbling on it. "There's a hellhound currently gnawing on my shoulder, and no one around here finds that odd…I'm sure they're fine."

With that, she took Kagome by the arm and led her toward the trees and the Estate house beyond, giggling with her all the way. The men all stood staring at each other awkwardly for a moment.

_What the HELL are we getting into?_


	2. London: Land of the Freaks

When Time Fails

Chapter 2

~London: Land of the Freaks~

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Black Butler, or SilverBelle11's character "Aria"

Reminder: SilverBelle11 and I are working _**together**_ on WTF.

-~*WTF*~-

A soft, gloved hand barely touched the hanyo's shoulders, but it's enough to rouse him. At first, he believed it is his companion, Kagome, waking him so they can look for more jewel shards. Maybe then, they could finish the jewel and fight Naraku-

_Wait a second,_ Inuyasha thought, still not having opened his eyes to the world. _**I**__ usually wake up the gang…_

He furrowed his black eyebrows and opened his eyes. As soon as they had opened enough to squint through, his golden eyes snapped open in shock. He was not expecting to see a smiling helluva butler mere inches from his face - the most unnerving attribute about this encounter being the slight smile tugging on the butler's lips.

Inuyasha immediately covered his shocked expression, hated being caught by surprise, with a scowl. He opened his mouth to stream obscenities at the demon who snuck up on him – but finds the ever white glove firmly presses against his parted lips. His golden eyes snapped up to burn through Sebastian's maroon irises, but the butler appears as calm as ever. Silently, he waved a finger in Inuyasha's face.

"Ah-ah! It's not polite to say such _vile_ words in the presence of a lady…"

Inuyasha's eyes instantly lock on the sleeping shadow on the screen separating him from the cause of that shadow.

_Kagome…_

Comforted seeing the lump rise and fall naturally, as if sleeping, the half-demon returned his gaze to the butler. With a curt nod from said demon, Sebastian removed his hand and proceeded to turn to the side to swipe the white glove off. Before Inuyasha could blink, a new, brighter glove had replaced the old.

Without sparing the half-demon so much as a glance, Sebastian said, "I do hope you are enjoying your stay…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Arms thoroughly crossed over his chest, he replied. "Feh, think whatever you like."

_But,_ Inuyasha thought lightly as his shoulders relaxed a bit._ The others are being treated so well. Kagome got her scrapes looked at properly -even if it __**was**__ by that annoying bastard – so I can't complain. Well, I __**could…**_

Smirking, he lifted himself off the ground and just stood, looking around the spacious room the 'master' had been so 'kind' as to give them. On the opposite wall, and empty fireplace silently begs to be lit. All the chairs sitting near the ceiling-to-floor window wish to be sat in, as though they never had the pleasure of being used. The floral rug brushing against his bare feet clung to his skin as if it was so happy to be tread upon. There was only one bed, but Inuyasha didn't mind giving it up for Kagome's sake. He _did_ mind when he was asked to sleep in a different room than her. Oh, the drama…

**FLASHBACK**

"You _live_ here?" Kagome asked in awe. Sure, the feudal castles back in Japan were impressive-

_But this is totally **not** the same thing! This place is **huge!** _

Standing only two stories tall, the so-called 'Phantomhive' manor stretched to the tree-line on each side. Thin vines snaked their way up the cream colored walls. The hedges that lined the little dirt road leading up to the front door were clipped so beautifully.

Sebastian led the way to the vast manor, Kagome, Shippou, and Finny followed – all laughing at one of Finny's jokes. Aria and Pluto, calm and pleased to be outside on the glorious, sunny day, strolled leisurely behind the trio. Inuyasha, ears twitching wildly this way and that, stayed behind in order to keep an eye on everyone. Arms folded, constantly grumbling under his breath, the half-demon walked on but was also secretly impressed with the estate.

At the door, Sebastian turned to the side and bowed to Kagome deeply.

"This way, dear Mistress," he instructed her to enter the Phantomhive household with a wave of his hand. As Kagome ascended the steps she stopped, frozen, fixed to the spot.

"Miss Kagome?" Finny's child-like voice wavered over to her. Climbing to the other side of her shoulders, Shippou waves his small hand in front of her face.

"Kaagoommeee?"

But the young priestess stood in horror as she continued to stare at the cream walls, soft sputterings of nonsense spewing from her mouth. Cautiously, she raised a hand to point to the nearest wall.

_Those **are not** vines, or greenery, or mere decoration! Those are-_

"S-sn-snakes?" She squeaked.

A light hand barely touched her arm, but it's enough to make Kagome nearly jump out of her socks. When she saw Aria's smiling face, however, the girl from the future felt a sense of peace wash over her.

Hand clutching her heart, Kagome asked wearily, "And you have snakes slithering up your walls _because…?"_

Aria shrugged. Her smile brightened as she said, "Don't worry, Kagome, these are Snake's friends. They're perfectly alright."

_Are you people **crazy?**_

By the time Inuyasha came up the steps to bring up the rear, Kagome was still in shambles. The snakes, however, didn't faze him in the least.

"Come on, Wench, get inside before your scratches get infected or something stupid like that."

The familiar gruffness was enough to bring Kagome back to reality.

Sebastian rose from his bow as Kagome walked on to catch up with Aria. Lips thinning into a pressed line, Sebastian told Inuyasha, "It's _not_ polite to call a girl such as she such a disgraceful title. Surely, even you see she is more than just a lowly, common girl, no?"

The half-demon narrowed his eyes at the tall man dressed in black.

"Feh," he muttered as he looked around the butler for Kagome.

She followed the sounds of footsteps that echoed off the walls and found herself in a dinning room. Next to her, Sebastian was once again bowing. Having been used to poor village people bowing to her in respect after defeating their demons, Kagome easily ignored the butler as she went to Aria's side. As she brushed off his overwhelming youki, Kagome almost felt a pull from the short-haired woman.

_Why do I feel like I **need **to be near this woman? I can feel her aura and… it's surprisingly pure. But that's not the thing that's strange… I can **feel** calm around her – not the normal kind either. This is… Eternal peace._

"Who do I have to pleasure of meeting?" A boy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. At the head of a long, dark table, a boy a little older than Souta, Kagome's brother, sits with his fingers interlaced with each other. What tugged sorrowfully at her heart strings was seeing the eye patch tied snug around his dark head. That one eye that could see them was blue. It was a deep blue that matched the ring riding his thumb. Knowing this ring brought the boy a certain amount of nobility – the miko couldn't decide based on his appearance _how _important he was.

_How am I supposed to talk to him? If I speak too polite, he might think I'm just a snob. If I speak without an air of politeness – he'll most likely throw a temper tantrum – most feudal men do._

"Uhh…." The words could not come out of her mouth.

Aria could sense the girl's hesitance and made her way fearlessly to the boy's side.

"Ciel," she waved a hand over Shippou, Kagome, and Inuyasha, "these are guests we found in the forest when we were playing with Pluto. They climbed out of a well that, come to think of it – I don't remember it being there…"

Aria's bright eyes drifted to the floor as her brow furrowed in deep thought. She shrugged and continued to say, "Anyhow, Kagome was injured and it would please me greatly if you would allow them to stay the night to recuperate, my young Lord. Just until her injuries are sufficient?" Aria finished with her signature curtsy to the floor, her simple governess dress circling her slender frame.

Ceil, as Aria had addressed him as, waved his hand without a second thought.

"Of course. Sebastian," he called. The tall man came to stand beside the boy, emphasizing their size differences. "Make sure these three have rooms to stay in as well as food to eat. We _must_ give them the Phantomhive experience. Understand?"

The demon nodded.

"Of course, my Lord."

Before Kagome could blink, the same man was standing before her, hand outstretched.

"Come, Mistress. I'll show you to your room-"

"I don't think so, pal." Inuyasha interrupted, sandwiching himself between the butler and his miko.

He could feel Kagome's hands on his back as she said, "Inuyasha! Be nice! He's only gonna show us our rooms-"

"Perhaps…" Sebastian added thoughtfully, gloved hand resting on his chin. "I could make some rearrangements and the three of you could sleep in one room? I see how frightening it might be to have popped here and be expected to separate from each other – so I'll simply add some Japanese screens. Does that solve the problem, Sir?"

"Don't 'Sir' me, you-"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed.

Inuyasha cast Kagome and Shippou an unsure glance before returning his gaze on the demon. He simply nodded, but Sebastian took the answer anyway.

"Alright, if you will excuse me for just one moment…" His voice trails off as he steps out of the room. Not a minute later, the parlor doors swing open with him standing in the center.

"Please, come this way. I hope you will find the arrangements to your liking."

The trio allowed themselves to be silently escorted. Sebastian led them up a grand staircase that had numerous paintings hanging on one side. As much as Kagome would've loved to stop and appreciate the handiwork – she knew she'd be lost in a heartbeat and kept close to Sebastian's side. He paused suddenly and she ram smack into his back. If Inuyasha wasn't there to catch her, Kagome would've fallen backward onto the tiled floor.

Before Inuyasha had the chance to steady her on her feet, Sebastian had opened the door and said, "I _do_ hope you like the theme."

As all pairs of eyes roomed the room, no one could move.

"Hhhhooow!" Kagome breathed. Everything, _everything_ inside was Japanese. Not only that, but themed from feudal Japan. Light colored screens separated the room in half, cloth cots on each side. The blankets on the far side of the room looked to be just like the material Lords would desperately try to get their hands on. The floor was made with narrow strips of tan wood. The walls all had either a hanging scroll with a decorative piece of ink-art on it, or the wall itself was adorned in the ancient art.

"Hey," Shippou spoke softly. "It's just like home… but you were gone for half a second! How'd you do it?"

Kagome and Inuyasha both snapped their eyes up to the butler. Sebastian merely laughed quietly to himself and said, "If I couldn't do this simple task, what sort of butler would I be?"

He walked into the room and slid one of the massive doors aside to reveal a closet. He bent over to pick up a plain white box and motioned for Kagome to come over to the cot. Sensing the girl wasn't going to move anytime soon, Inuyasha lowered Kagome to hook his arm under her knees; straightening to carry her bridal style.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the action, but quickly hid any traces of it.

Inuyasha set his miko on the cot and sat back, Shippou jumping from Kagome's shoulder to rest on his.

Sebastian slid his overcoat off his narrow shoulders and folded it nicely to lay beside him while he got to work. He gently probed each bruise to make sure nothing was broken and made a big deal of cleaning each and every cut with the antiseptic from the first-aid kit. He was almost finished when he heard a growling behind him.

With a sigh, he said, "Inuyasha, I am simply tending to her wounds. If you despise _me_ helping her so much – feel free to take over."

The growling morphed into a slight whimper, and Inuyasha cursed himself for it.

"Inuyasha – please refrain yourself from using such language around a lady, will you? Women do not need to be exposed to such brutality."

The half-demon rolled his eyes and stomped to the other side of the screen. There, Inuyasha had barely sat down against the wall before he fell asleep.

**-~*WTF*~-**

A/n: Here's the latest creation that's rocking the nation! Oh! And please note: I do _not_ mean to offend any English here. The title _was _SilverBelle11's idea, so if you don't like it…

You're gonna have to go through me! *brandishes sharp machete*

BWAHAHAHA!

;3

Hope you guys are loving the story! I'm having a blast talking to Aria about all the awkward moments the Inu gang will experience with each new Black Butler character.

I mean, who _can't_ laugh at what Grell might do to our favorite hanyo?

'D

Till Next Time!


	3. Chaos for Breakfast

When Time Fails

Chapter 3

~Chaos for Breakfast~

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Black Butler, or SilverBelle11's character "Aria"

Note: SilverBelle11 and I are working on _this_ story as a collaborating piece of work – which translates to: we're working together!

-~*WTF*~-

The crew sat at the long table that, even with them filling a lot of the extra spaces, still felt lonely. Shippou and Finny were eagerly talking to each other while Aria gushed over Kagome's well being. Though Sebastian and Inuyasha were on opposite side of the room, butler by the door and Inuyasha sitting down by Kagome, the tension between the two was practically a palpable thing.

All matters settled down when the Earl entered the room and Ceil sat at the head of the table. He plopped his paper down and asked nonchalantly, "I trust you slept well?"

"Why yes, thank you," Kagome spoke up, smiling though the boy ignored her.

"Good, good," he muttered, his attention more so on the day's local newspaper. His one eye skittered across the page, not seeing anything of interest. All eyes on him, he finally folded the paper and set it to the side of his empty dinner ware. "Sebastian."

Right on cue, his butler gracefully strode over to his master's side, breakfast in hand. He placed the plate with the yellow food in front of Ceil, to which said boy raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the normal crumpets, scones, or even toast. No, this looked to somehow be consisted of eggs, if that was even right. Slyly casting a sideways glance at his guests, who were being served the exact same thing as he, Ceil could tell that his company knew right away what this exotic meal was.

Not missing his master's confusion and careful not to expose it, Sebastian explained, "This is the traditional Japanese dish _Rolled Omelet_. Very similar to your ordinary omelet except for the added soy sauce, the fact our pleasant dish is rolled up just like any parlor rug, and cut width-wise so that the person eating may have an easier time eating this delectable dish."

The demon put a hand over his breast, closed his eyes, and added while bowing slightly, "I assure you, Master, this is a very exquisite dish, indeed."

Further down the table, Kagome and Shippou have already taken their first bite. Kagome's brown eyes lit up as she admitted, "Wow, Mister Sebastian, this tastes amazing! It's almost as good as Mama's."

Beside her, the red-headed kistune nodded in agreement.

Sebastian straightened his posture and smiled at the two. "Why thank you, Mistress Kagome. I appreciate you compliment greatly."

On the other side of the young miko, Inuyasha huffed, "It's alright…"

Ignoring his jabbering, Ceil looked up from his meal and asked, "So Kagome, tell me – do you enjoy playing _games?"_

"Umm…" She set her fork down on the napkin, not sure how to answer.

_What kind of **games** is he talking about? He's a child, so I suppose he means just kid games… but the way he said it…_

"I guess so." Kagome gave the young lord a small smile, hoping her answer was right.

Apparently, it was not.

Ceil shook his head and when he returned his gaze upon her, his one eye seemed to fix her to the spot.

"That's not being very confident of you, Lady Kagome. How do you expect to win?" Having eaten his unusual breakfast, he rose from his seat at the head of the table and announced, "Come, let us play a game, shall we?"

The way he was staring at her made Kagome feel like a chess piece more than a fellow player. No, she did not want to play with this boy – lord or not.

But how to tell him?

Beside her, Inuyasha could feel her uneasiness. He slammed his _for-cke _on the white table, demanding the attention to him. He swiveled his head around to pin the brat down with his amber glare.

"What?" he scoffed. "Still playing stupid _pup_ games? I thought you were a bigger man when I saw you yesterday sitting so high and pretty behind your desk with all those _important_ papers."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, though she was secretly happy to have the spotlight off her.

"But I guess you're still a brat," he continued. He jerked his chin at the boy. "Where are your parents, kid? Do they do all this crap for you? Do you just sit back while they do all the dirty work and you rise to take the credit?"

Suddenly, his view of the master was cut off by a black shadow. He looked up and could see red eyes aflame.

"While some of your claims may be true about my young Lord," it was obvious Sebastian was working very hard to control his anger. "Your threatening behavior will not be tolerated. It is my duty to protect the people of this house, and above all others, my Master. I need not tell you that in your world, you might be allowed to consider yourself a demon, but here, you are dealing with the genuine article. If you continue down this path, I will be forced to put you down like the rabid dog you are."

"Oh yeah!" Inuyasha spat, not taking the threat seriously. "Go ahead and try. I bet I could put an end to you-"

Sandwiched between the two raging demons, Kagome could only make herself smaller and smaller the more the boys got at their petty fight. She winced at every threat made and soon she was looking to Aria, who was sitting right across from her, for help. The governess looked at the male duo and rolled her eyes.

Instantly, the fighting stopped, and Kagome found herself in the shadow of Aria's form where she stood now in the middle of the fighting. Kagome hadn't even seen the woman move. Aria had just fixed both demons with a glare that silenced them before assisting Kagome to her feet.

"Really, boys," Aria's voice was bored and irritated, "All this fuss? Ciel, try to remember that you are a gentleman. The way that you spoke to Miss Kagome was worthy of Inuyasha's actions. He just acted before I did. Sebastian. You know very well that this character wouldn't harm our master. He's just a loud-mouth is all. Moreover he wouldn't be able to harm him if he tried. We would all protect him. Inuyasha? You should remember that this is not your home. Our customs are different from yours. And while Master Ciel may have deserved your wrath, he is still the Lord of this house, and you must respect him as such."

Aria tightened her grip on Kagome's arm, "And all of this in front of a lady? Shameful."

Arm and arm, Aria and Kagome headed for the doors leading to the rest of the mansion, Shippou right behind them. Over her shoulder, the governess added, "We'll give you boys some time to try and learn to behave yourselves. If you need us in the mean time, we'll be in the gardens."

Aria reached to open the door and felt a sickeningly familiar aura on the other side.

_Ughh… not now…this day just keeps getting better…_

She opened the door to reveal a red-haired man leaning in the doorway. His red glasses rode the end of the bridge of his nose. His red, flowing coat hung loosely around his lean body. His black, heeled boots were crossed at the ankles. Upon finding the women, however, his green eyes lost their enthusiastic light and his toothy smile fell.

"Oh. Well, hello Aria." He greeted, though his tone suggested he would rather turn tail from this woman.

Aria tightened her grip on Kagome's arm and muttered, "Grell…"

Kagome noticed the way her eyes had hardened at the sight of him, even though she forced a clenched-toothed smile, and immediately Kagome noticed the unique aura surrounding this man in red – wait, was it even a man? He wore long eyelashes and had skulls decorating his glasses' chain. And his hair is so long, almost to his ankles.

_But lots of the demons in Inuyasha's time always wear their hair long, so this **could** be a male…_

Grell walked right around the two women, saying, "I'd love to stay and chat with you, ladies, but right now I'm in need of seeing my sweet Bassy-"

"Well if I'm a 'good-for-nothing _half_-demon,' then what kind of demon are you? Taking orders from that kid like a human. I swear, I would never obey-" Inuyasha continued to fight with the butler, never noticing the new company.

Grell stood, fascinated by the sight before him. Underneath the silky mane of silver hair, the reaper could definitely distinguish the red fabric cloaking the young man's form.

_Oh, the hair! Oh, the voice! AND THE RED! I MUST see who this **man** is!_

-~*WTF*~-

"Good morning, Grell," Sebastian's tone was one of a genuine greeting, though secretly, he would rather have followed Aria out to the gardens…the reaper wouldn't dare tag along if she was there. "To what do we owe this surprise?"

Inuyasha's jaw dropped as his anger flared at being blown off by that man in black.

"Oh, Bassy! You know how my heart aches at being separated from you for too long!" Grell leaped with his arms outstretched toward Sebastian, but the butler sidestepped with little effort, causing the man in red to slam to the floor. "So COLD, Bassy! Maybe your friend is a little warmer?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched, unsure if he was this 'friend' this strange man recalled or not. At seeing the silver furry triangles, Grell's eyes swelled to be the size of saucers. An audible gasp could be heard from said man throughout the room as the reaper stood, still fascinated by his luck to stumble across such a specimen. Before the half-demon could blink, the man in red was hugging and rubbing his arm _very _affectionately.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

_Gods, another Jakostsu! If I thought that resurrected human from the band of seven was weird, this homosexual demon of sorts will be just __**load of fun…**_he thought sourly as he pried himself free.

"Oh come on, Inu-chan! I just want a little kiss-" One quick hit on the back of the head from the half-demon had the persistent reaper keeping to himself.

Eyes closed, Inuyasha huffed, "NO. THANKS."

Standing to the side of the entire affair, Sebastian sighed and asked politely, "Well, Grell, to what do we have the pleasure of having you here?"

Grell stuck his bottom lip out as he gave both demons puppy eyes.

"Awww! Must I state my business so soon-"

"Yes!" Inuyasha barked. "Now cut the crap and get on with it."

He did a double take and stood back with a nonchalant expression plastered on his face. He offered a hand to the butler and said calmly, "Unless, you'd rather _you_ handle the situation and listen to his crap."

The butler merely raised his gloved hands in defense and replied, "No, no, my friend, I must say you are handling the situation quite nicely."

It was that moment when the two demons formed a silent pact together against the touchy reaper. While they were smiling slightly at each other, completely ignoring the confused Grell in the corner, Ceil walked into the middle of the throng.

"Grell, what business do you have here at the Phantomhive Manor?" the Earl inquired. "Surely you haven't come just to flatter my butler."

Immediately, Grell gave Sebastian a mischievous smile with a glint in his green eyes, 

'Oh, I'm far too busy for that, sadly. All though I'd just _love_ to hug my sweet Babo all day long! Oooohh!" He clenched his fist and twisted this way and left, a that same smile still tugging at his lips.

Sebastian, however, was not amused and remained placid.

Ceil let out a small cough to gather the eager reaper's attention. In an instant, Grell was standing tall in all seriousness, his face no longer sheltering any light and happy emotions.

"There seems to be some sort of confusion in the world regarding _souls._"

"Souls?" the boy asked, fingers nervously twisting the blue ring on his thumb. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Grell continued. "Is that souls that we have collected years ago are reappearing all over England; souls _yet_ to be created doing to same thing. No one knows why the souls are showing up out of order, but I mentioned I knew the Queen's Guard dog would be able to inspect the matter. If anyone had the connections and resources needed for this predicament, it'd be Ceil Phantomhive and his butler."

Ceil bowed his head and hummed in thought, bringing his family heirloom to his lips. Sebastian bowed respectfully to his master and said, "Master, if you wish, I can seek out the source of this phenomenon-"

"Oh we already know that," Grell piped up. Twp sets of English eyes snap up to look at him. "There were reportings of a strong rip in time that set all the souls into utter chaos and confusion. Our intelligence team says it was in the form of a medival well from Japan, odd enough."

_The well!_ Inuyasha thought frantically. Ever since the red figure had started talking _seriously,_ the half-demon had stopped paying attention to the conversation, not seeing any reason to be apart of someone else's affairs. His ears swiveled toward Grell.

"But intelligence also says that the rip has been shut and that the well is no longer- hey, where's he going off in such a rush?" Grell asked, watching Inuyasha run down the hallway through the opened dinning room door.

_This can't be good,_ Sebastian thought. With a sigh he added, _Oh, the extra meal preparations, the extra seating, the…_

_**~#*WTF*#~**_

"How can you be so commanding with them?" Kagome marveled as she and Aria walked the grounds of the estate. "You have this…peacefulness…about you, but that back there! It was amazing! You spoke to all of them like they were children, and none of them—even Inuyasha could say a word!"

"You may have guessed that I am not human either," Aria smiled distantly. "I am a Seraph. A divine being above the level of an angel. Sebastian and Ciel know this, and though I would never hurt them, and they know it, they know not to anger me as well. I suspect that some level of Inuyasha's instinct told him much the same thing."

Now Kagome's head was reeling. _Above_ an _Angel?_ That was powerful. REALLY powerful.

"What about that man that came in? Grell?" Kagome changed the subject slightly. "You didn't seem to like him very much."

"Well," Aria sighed. Kagome felt bad. This was obviously treading into some seriously painful memories. "Grell is a Grim Reaper. He and his cohorts are supposed to collect the souls of the dying. There are several things that strain our relationship…firstly, he is fiercely jealous…because Sebastian and I are involved."

Kagome gasped a little bit. _A demon and a heavenly being? And here I thought a relationship between a MIKO and a demon was taboo…_

"You see," Aria continued, ignoring the reaction to the first bit of news, "Grell is…shall we say…different. He is a male, but feels he should have been made as a female…therefore, he is attracted to men, and has chosen Sebastian as his highest target."

"He's," Kagome was now in a realm beyond shocked to where the Seraph could have said anything at this point and it wouldn't seem odd. "He's homosexual?"

"Ah, yes," Aria nodded, "That's the word for it in your time."

"Interesting," Kagome nodded. She wondered how Inuyasha was fairing with this character being that homosexuality was a foreign concept in feudal Japan.

"Secondly," Aria continued with her explanation, "He and I had a…falling out…shall we say, several months ago. Sebastian was in a battle involving Grell and several others of his kind. He was wounded in that battle, and I have yet to forget that."

"Understandable," Kagome nodded. She imagined what it would be like to have to coexist with someone who was involved in something where Inuyasha was injured. "I'm glad he made it, though."

"He didn't," Aria's tone was cold. Kagome looked up to her, shocked once again. "Sebastian died in that fight. Grell was the one who came to collect his soul, but I wouldn't allow it. As you can see though, Sebastian came back."

Kagome could tell there was much to that story that the Seraph wasn't telling her. She didn't press the matter, though. She'd come to like Aria, and seeing her saddened made everything around them seem considerably more dreary. Additionally, despite Inuyasha's feelings toward him, Kagome had developed a fondness for the demon in black. If she looked past his overwhelming youki, he seemed to be a very thoughtful, gentlemanly man. Aria had fallen in love with him, after all. That had to count for something.

Just then, there was a commotion behind the two ladies as Inuyasha and Sebastian came running down the path.

"The well!" Inuyasha yelled, "Get to the well!"

"Wha—" Kagome protested, but Inuyasha soon swept her off her feet and bounded down the trail to where the wall was located. Aria and Sebastian followed.

When they reached the meadow, however, they found that it was just that: a meadow. There was no sign of the hole out of which Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo had emerged. Not even a trace of its energy could be sensed.

-~*WTF*~-

A/n: special note! Yesterday was my b-day guys! And my b-day breakfast is, you guessed it! – the rolled omelet!

X33

Haven't had that in over a year!

Well, I just wanted to say thank you to all my and SilverBelle11's readers for this slow-going story.

'D

We're working hard, I promise…. Just at our real jobs.

Anyway, tell me how the story is, what you think should happen, what characters the Inu gang should POP into-

Speaking of which…

I got to write most of the Grell scenes – did I do him justice? *wink*

And so, our little plot thickens once more…. *grins mischievously*

;3

Till Next Time!


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